Hunted by the Dark
by Narutoxaddict
Summary: Chased from home, and left to his own devices to seek out the only man who can help him, Naruto discovers that the roles of friend and foe are not always so shallow. With danger lurking, Naruto's survival teeters on edge as both sides come out into light.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: **Nothing in the Naruto universe belongs to me. From here on out, the fictional story that does not follow the cannon is all that I have contributed to Massashi Kishimoto's work.**  
Alright, I'll make this quick, there is only one main pairing, if you can call it a pairing, and that's NarutoXSakura. This is a rewrite of the origional version of this fic, and I've tried to embellish and fix the errors in my writing. If you a see a mistake, please contact me so I can correct if for other readers's benefit. Also, if you have any comments or critique, you are welcome to drop me a quick review. Thank-you!

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Naruto stumbled on the wet dewed tree foliage, his blood splattered slightly on the wood, staining it with speckles of red. He stopped for a moment to try and regain his composure, but his thoughts wouldn't allow him to relax his tense muscles and racing heart. All of the adrenalin made sure that his panicking body wouldn't calm easily, and every passing moment seemed as epic and long as the one before it.

He could tell that Danzo's forces were gaining on him quickly, being highly skilled in tracking, and that this time he had absolutely nobody to run to. Jiraiya was still away on his trip to parts unknown, not giving him any clue as to where he was or even inkling as to when he would return. Danzo had convinced the council that Naruto was too much of a threat to keep in the village, using his slick tongue and shadowy minions, and much too valuable to other nations to be allowed to flee. The old bastard had convinced the main part of the council to have Naruto executed. It was only through a hurriedly scribbled note from Tsunade that he had the small amount of lead that he had, and that was quickly slipping through his fingers.

Naruto cursed when the following enemy had almost caught up to him, the silent assassins slicing through the dusk. It had taken a lot out of him just to escape their grip the first time and was pretty sure that if he became captured again, he wouldn't be so lucky. Kami, what was he supposed to do. Even if he crossed the border, there was a high possibility that the trackers would follow him.

Naruto ground his teeth as he forced his tired limbs and aching muscles to moveagain. He was trying for the nearest border of Wave country. According to Tsunade it was least likely to expel him if the government discovered his identity, and for the time being, that was good enough for him.

Dammit, the Akasuki was bad enough; he didn't these idiots on top of them. He relaxed slightly as he crossed the boundary lines of Konoha. The shinobi appeared to halt close to the line, but Naruto didn't waste time to check. He was officially on his own. Unless he found Jiraiya before he returned home, nobody from his village could help him without being vulnerable for being charged with treason.

With the stars overhead, he had no idea of how far he had exactly gone; with no map, he had only his shaky memory of the countryside to guide him through the landscape. In the dark, every tree looked identical, and Naruto's sense of direction was severely impaired.

Near sunrise, Naruto arrived on the outskirts of a small fishing village. The tiny town was crammed into the nook of a shallow bay that let out into the sea, the water held a slight mist to it that was illuminated by the sun. Narutowent to a stream before entering the village to wash his clothes and wounds and to remove his headband. As he peeled off the sweaty and dirty stained clothes he saw thatparts were butchered and blood streaked. He had some money with him, it would be best to buy civilian clothes as soon as possible to remain inconspicuous. It was best if nobody in this country knew he was a foreign shinobi, it would only raise more questions that he would have no way of answering. If he wanted to avoid arising suspicion of small town's xenophobic villagers, blending in more solidly would be a necessity.

After making himself more presentable, washing his hair, face and clothes, Naruto walked slowly into the village. Nobody seemed to notice him too much, nothing greater than the usual interest of a stranger in a close-knit community, so he guessed that it was safe to continue on. He found a garment shop and purchased two sets of civilian clothes to replace his shinobi ones. After ducking into a deserted alley, checking to make sure that none were watching, he changed into one of the sets, sadly placing his old clothes into the bottom of his pack where his gear and headband were stored.

Naruto then walked to another shop to purchase traveling equipment that he hadn't been able to bring with him. After making his purchases, Naruto realized that he need to rest a night or two before continuing to where ever it was he was going. He asked the shopkeeper as casually as he could muster, "Excuse me, where could I possibly spend a night or two. I've been on a long trip to visit my uncle and I have an even longer way to go."

"Well, I believe there is one Inn down the road on the northern outskirts of town. You could try them; it isn't much, but then again, there aren't many travelers through this part of the coastline," the owner said, vaguely pointing his hand in a general direction.

"Thanks, for the directions and the gear," Narutosaid as he exited the shop. He followed the man's advice and arrived at the Inn. The outside was in slight need of repair, some of the paint peeling- likely due to the persistent moisture that the air always held-but the opening path was well swept and clear. As he entered, he caught the attention of the young man at the desk who quickly shuffled the book he was reading under a nearby stack of papers that did little to shroud the cover. With the quick look Naruto received, he identified the text of one of Jiraiya's more recent installments to his pornographic series.

"Can I help you sir," the acne faced youth asked politely, observing Naruto up and down.

"Yes, I would like to rent a room for two nights."

"Of course, here is your key. You pay the bill when you check-out, and room service will be more then happy to help you with anything else." Smiling, he pointed in the direction of the rented room. "Will there be anything else?"

In a fake serious tone he replied, "Only one. I'd be more careful reading that book that you're hiding under the papers. Something tells me it'll get you hit one of these days."

The employee blushed slightly, "I'll certainly take your adice. Are you a fan?" Naruto rolled his eyes and ignored the question.

Turning, Naruto shifted his pack to the other shoulder as the previously discarded book was quietly shifted back into a readable position and the man's mind quickly became absorbed into the printed story. In doing so, he missed Naruto's muttered 'pervert' as the blond walked away.

After entering his room on the second floor, Naruto tossed his pack in on the bed and flopped down next to it. His body was worn, and he desperately needed to sleep, but his mind would not allow the rest of him to let go and revel in the temporary relief of unconsciousness. Even after the sun had set and his room was cast in darkness, not having enough ambition to turn on the light, the thoughts in his head swirled with turmoil.

_Where do I go from here? I could try to find pervy-sage, but that could take weeks. I don't have that much money; I might have to settle down for awhile and then keep trying to find him._The blonde sighed; it was going to be a long night. Down on the bottom floor he heard yelling, words like 'filth', 'pig', and 'in front of customers', floating up through the ceiling like a creeping breeze.

Rolling off his side and standing up from the bed, he walked over to the solitary window that looked out over the sea and minimal urban scenery. The soft murmurs of waves coming ashore created a light white noise in the background for the otherwise mute city. It was way too quiet for his taste.

_Nothing I can do now, might as well think about it tomorrow,_ he thought giving in. He carefully stripped down to boxers and a t-shirt, his body protesting the slightest stretch in any direction, and rolled back on to the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Without the light pollution of larger civilization, his eyes made images on the blank canvas. Pictures that held familiar forms, but the blurred details made them warped and unrecognizable to his mind.

Watching the swirling imagery, he felt the hours tick by, his body physically demanding sleep, but his mind completely fascinated by the show. Slowly, Naruto felt his body calm, and his thoughts grow unfocused. Giving in to the sheer exhaustion of his latest experiences, barely hours before the dawn, Naruto let the dreamscapes of his unconscious mind take control and fell into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Naruto had spent his two nights mainly in his room; there wasn't much to see in the small town. He knew that staying to long in a tiny place like this would raise questions. The young shinobi had to move one, but to where? He felt like he had done nothing but think for the last day and every strategy had been turned down more quickly than the one before it. His best option was to find Jiraiya, that much had not changed, but he truly didn't know where to begin. Naruto knew that his teacher was digging up info on the Akatsuki, but that left a lot of places to the imagination, and required an impossible amount of time. He decided that starting in Wave country would be his safest bet, since he was already there.

Sighing, Naruto finished packing up his things and left the town while most of its inhabitants were still dozing. He had acquired a map of wave country and estimated that he would reach a larger port town by dusk and start his search there the next day. He had to be careful, Danzo's spies could follow him anywhere and he wouldn't know it till it was too late.

His trek through Wave country was uneventful, the passing merchant with his goods or the occasional farmer driving a cart filled with his produce on the bridge that had him to thank for its namesake. The mist that left moisture clinging to Naruto's exposed skin quickly became irritating, and his new clothes brushed against his flesh in a sensation the blonde found extremely uncomfortable.

As the sun was setting on a watery horizon; casting the sky into a picturesque scene that painters loved to describe, and poets loved to write about. The skyline of the large port town also left its imprint. The sun used the buildings to form cool shadows behind the structures, leaving the larger buildings to create the city's own shadow.

Naruto approached the edge of the bustling town, observing all that he could. The glances he received from the people held even less value then those he had received in the previous town. He would definitely be less noticeable in the larger town.

Observing the buildings and the inhabitants, the city was a stark contrast to the desolate, poverty stricken place that he had last seen. The markets held a reasonable amount of produce for sale, and the atmosphere itself was certainly livelier to say the least.

He easily found the hotel district that held everything from low class motels to upper class suites. Naruto selected an average looking building that appeared to have a fair price range. The woman at the desk didn't speak much; her smile was warm but slightly anxious, as if she was just waiting for her shift to end.

The room also held no interesting qualities; Naruto dropped his stuff near the foot of the bed and continued to the window. He opened the latch, and pushed the glass aside and the moist breeze flew into the room. The view was much more interesting then the last one. The civilians were scurrying from one destination to another, some stopping and chatting with others for a quick word, and then continuing about their business.

One quick glance to the outskirts revealed what Naruto was looking for: lines of gentleman's clubs and brothels that were starting to illuminate a celebratory glow that attracted patrons to the exotic nightlife of the city.

Naruto turned around, not wanting to relish in the fact that he was probably going to end up there sometime tomorrow. Jiraiya was not the most conservative man around, and most people never forgot him when they saw his face, or, as he could only guess, the extensive amount of money that flowed from his wallet for women and sake.

Naruto sighed, grimacing at the thought of having to look through the muck and slime at the bottom of the city; all of the toxic women with their tempting looks and of the disorienting drugs and alcohol that oozed out of every pore that the red light district had to present.

Laying spread eagle on the bed, he pushed the vile thoughts from his head, and his mind began to wander. Naruto was missing familiarity, the comfort that his home village and friends had given him. He missed all of them, and they all had to be left behind them. All except one. The one he had looked over as a comrade. A friend. A brother.

Naruto shivered, the cool temperature feeling icy over his thinly clothed skin, raising bumps across his arms. Reluctant to move, he rubbed his hands over the tops of his arms to warm himself, but it did little to dissolve the chill. Giving in, he rolled under the covers, shivering as the slightly cold sheets slid against his skin. After a few moments, his body heat having warmed the sheets to a more pleasant degree, he felt himself sinking of into a comforting sleep.

Naruto awoke with a jerk when he heard the knock on his door; "room service," a young feminine voice called through the door. "Not today thank you," he answered back, sitting up on the bed and glancing out the window where the sun was starting to rise over the water. He needed to get going on his search soon or he'd have to stay in the least appealing section of town past dusk- which was a very unappealing situation at the least.

After making himself presentable in the mirror, brushing his growing bangs from his eyes. Straightening his clothes he walked over to the open window, glancing longingly out at the cityscape, feeling the desire to leap out the window and enjoy the breeze through his hair, but restrained himself to keep up his non-shinobi charade. Grabbing a quick gulp of food, he heads out into the bustling crowd of morning shoppers searching for market deals, and strolls threw the moderately clogged streets.

As he walked through the city, he saw all the changes that had occurred after his visit to the city, the market stalls held more than the bare minimum of food for sale, children were laughing and playing around the traveling passerby, and the air of starvation and poverty that used to cloak the town in a shroud of misery seemed to have evaporated with the successful building of the bridge.

Enjoying the prosperous sights he saw, Naruto was less than thrilled when a huge overhead sign signified the stereotypical districts that Jiraiya had dragged him to during his training. Naruto took a deep breath and started walking threw the- thankfully- sparsely populated streets that held colorful buildings that promised pleasure at every turn. He glanced to both sides, unsure of where to start, and selected the most elaborately decorated- as well as the most tacky- building within his line of vision.

Enter through the doorway, the smell of sweat and sake body slamming his senses numb for a minute, and the mist of smoke burned his eyes. Someone noticing his entrance, a gratuitously dressed woman comes over to him, slipping in closely to him. Naruto turns his head to look at her, and is pounded by a third overwhelming smell of a cheap, extremely over applied perfume that chokes him of a few breaths.

"Can I help you cutie?" she asks suggestively. "Never seen you around here before, foreign?"

Doing his best not to continue choking, he hoarsely declines her blunt invitation and questions, "I think you might be able to help me; you see, I'm looking for an old man. Long white hair, old, really horny a lot of the time."

Slinging an arm across his shoulders, she cocks her head at him, "Pretty generalized description, but me and my friends always remember faces better with a small tip in our hands," the woman whispers delicately.

Carefully peeling her arm off of him he crams a bill into her hand and inquires, "Any old pervert get thrown out of this place recently." After a minute of thought the female shakes her head and denies any such instance. Grinding his teeth, Naruto manages to walk out of the place- after three more women try to pick him up as their next client- and exits the environmentally unhealthy establishment.

Shaking his head, he mutters to himself, "That's one down, and quite a bit more to go," he adds grimacing. _Could be worse,_Naruto thinks to himself, _only four women tried to pick me up this time._

Reviews and comments are appreciated deeply, thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! I have been really busy this weekend! This will probably be the last installment for a couple days. School work sucks.  
Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Naruto.  
I promise a new chapter with a fight scene will be out soon, I just needed to fix some of the more glaring errors in this chapter.

"Talking"  
_Thinking  
_Flashback of dream-scape

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Naruto took in a deep breath of the humid air that surrounded him in the dank alley that he had chosen to rest in. Who knew that one city could have so many brothels? Naruto had been walking around all most of the day and nobody had seen Jiraiya; though a lot of women apparently had a very continuous opinion of the old man.

After walking through the backstreets of the city back to his room Naruto searched his pockets for his room key. When he obtained the key and placed it in the lock, he heard a noise come from the inside the room. Naruto's muscles stiffened, his ears straining to listen in on any other noise.

Several tense moments followed with no other sounds, so Naruto carefully twisted the key in the lock and suddenly jerked open the door to reveal his empty room. After searching the room for anything out place, the young shinobi reached his pack; sitting on the edge of his bed as he had left it. Nervously, Naruto opened the sac and thoroughly sifted through its contents.

Everything was accounted for, but not the way he had left it. His shinobi gear used to be at the very bottom of his pack; now, several articles of his dirty clothes were under his equipment that had not been in that position.

Obviously someone had been in his room, but that was not what disturbed him. The fact that his room had been searched and left in almost perfect order signaled that the intruders had skill; that eliminated most civilians. But the fact that the perpetrator had left when they heard Naruto's arrival meant that they weren't part of Root, or Naruto would have been attacked outright.

All of it was very unsettling to the blond shinobi, he was being tracked by more shinobi than he had foreseen. It also meant that this city was no longer safe. If his identity was revealed, it wouldn't end well.

Leaving the city was an uneventful trip for the blond shinobi. Before he reached the city limits his mind was wandering.

_How much longer can this go on? Dam that crippled bastard, I hope Danzo burns in hell. None of this would have happened if he hadn't pursued me like I was Kuyubi himself._

Naruto's spine shivered for a moment, he hadn't thought of the nine-tailed demon for awhile. The beast had been rather quiet through the whole trip. The only action that signified his existence was the small amount of leaking chakara that had healed his wounds during his escape from Konoha.

Naruto shook his head; there were just too many things to think about. His brain was overloading. He blocked out all of the troubling thoughts and replaced them with one of his daydreams.

His daytime dreamscape brought him to a riverbank where he, Sakura and Sasuke were resting after a long day of training. The sunshine felt warm on his face, and the flowing water was soothing. There wasn't any conversation, but the atmosphere held enough relaxing qualities that Naruto allowed the silence. 

A breeze rustled through the blond boy's hair and quickly swept all the pieces of calm and left horrid images: the river turned dark, the sun formed into and eclipsed moon and the once peaceful light sky became red. Sasuke's curse seal took over most of his skin. Sakura's smiling face turned into one of torture and pain, her clothes became torn and smeared with oozing blood. Naruto looked down at himself as he was now covered in rusted chains that connected him to a gate that had a pair of large red eyes that gleamed with malice. 

Looking up before him was a larger version of the picture of team seven fresh out of the academy. The image had a fine crack in the middle of it that glinted innocently in the dim light. Sasuke walked up to the picture, glanced at it for a moment, and turned his attention to Naruto. Sasuke drew his katana and held the handle in his right had.

Sensing what his teammate was about to do, Naruto jerked against the strong metal rings that had wrapped around him, but the weak looking metal held the struggling shinobi. Naruto looked up when his name was called.

"Naruto," Sasuke said in his emotionless voice, "how could you ever understand my path? How could you ever understand what it's like to lose someone when you were alone from the start?"

"I'm not alone."

"Really, that would explain why your tracking around by yourself, trying to find someway back to a place that wants you dead."

"Sasuke…"

"Save it, I came here to do a job and I'm going to do it," and then quickly stabbed the blade of his katana into the heart of the picture permanently shattering it.

Naruto screamed out for Sasuke and Sakura but the scenery went black.

Naruto staggered as fresh blood from a kunai pierced his right thigh, making him trip and scrape his palms on the rough rocky road. Reflexes taking over, Naruto quickly rolled over and leaped to the safety of a nearby tree branch that offered immediate cover.

"Not as sharp as you have been proclaimed to be, eh Uzamaki?" Naruto was kicked in the back and sent roughly to the ground where he was instantly pinned by his attacker. " Ya know, Danzo ordered you be killed on sight, but I think I'll get much more joy out of making you pay for all the tracking you made us do to get you. Maybe if you beg I'll make sure it's much more quick." The shinobi was closing his hand down around Naruto's throat, crushing the boy's windpipe. "Or," the shinobi crackled, "maybe I'll just let you beg. Dazo will be pleased as long as you're dead."

Naruto's vision was blurring from the lack of oxygen, he wouldn't be able to stay conscious much longer.

_So what? This is it? I don't want it to end here! Kyubi! Why isn't he doing anything?_

Naruto's lungs were burning from the oxygen deficiency. The shinobi was really going to let him die like this. Naruto could see the lips of the shinobi moving, but the words lost their meaning before they reached Naruto's ears. In the distance he thought he could make-out someone else, but Naruto wouldn't have been surprised if it was just his imagination.

Just as his vision blurred, the boy heard an echoing voice shout, "Naruto," but the blond lost his senses as his vision completely faded to darkness.

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A little more action then the 2nd chapter. Any guesses for who the voice might be? Reviews are deeply appreciated, and thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Discalimer: I do not own Naruto!! This is the first fight scene of the story, I don't think it came out too bad.

"SPEAKING"

Enjoy!!

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Naruto felt like he was swimming in darkness. The huge weight bearing down upon him was not allowing him to breath. His mind was clouded and foggy; the lack of oxygen was affecting him quickly.

Suddenly, the huge weight was gone from his throat and he felt air rush in to fill his empty lungs. Naruto coughed, trying to remember how to breathe properly. He felt himself being held up and heard someone speaking to him, but the voice sounded distorted and faraway.

His senses returned slowly and now he saw the outline of the person holding him allowing him to steady himself on his unstable legs. When Naruto's vision returned, he instantly looked at the ground as the wave of dizziness and vertigo hit him.

"… hey kid, can you here me," the voice asked him again. When Naruto felt that he would no longer fall over when he stood, the shinobi straightened up to look into the eyes of his white haired, and perverted teacher.

"Hai pervy-sage, I hear you just fine. Wow, I thought I was done there for a second."

"Hey, I'm still not done paying you back for all the times you've called me pervy-sage, and who would I mooch money from then," Jiraiya said with a grin on his face. Glancing to their left he said, "Appears that we have more company, good time to practice your training. Just promise me that I get some action too."

"Only if you can keep up old man," Naruto said with a smirk, drawing a kunai holster from the bottom of his pack and attaching it above the congealing blood on his leg. He felt restless; he hadn't had a good fight for awhile.

He and Jiraiya walked into the clearing where four other shinobi were waiting. Looking strait into the eyes of the one who had been suffocating him, Naruto's knuckles turned white as he griped a kunai in his palm.

Throwing the kunai straight at the lead Root member, the fight began. Two masked members attacked Jiraiya and the other two, including the first attacker, went for Naruto. Naruto quickly formed another clone and each went one-on-one with the two enemy shinobi.

The real Naruto managed to get in a couple quick hits to his opponent, but he received equally hard and more accurate blows to his gut sending him back into the tree line. Quickly getting to his feet, Naruto dodged the various weapons thrown at him. Jiraiya had disappeared in the dense forest foliage where other sounds of battle came from. The clone had the same results, and was also running back to his opponent from where he had been thrown.

"Not bad Uzamaki, but I'm not even fully warmed up just yet." The enemy shinobi each dropped small weights attached on all of their limbs. "Let's just see what you're really made of, Kyubi brat." Both Naruto's didn't have a chance to respond because both were flown straight back into the trees. As they both landed, the clone was kicked hard in the chest, and popped in a bush of smoke. The real Naruto was being beaten up by the other shinobi, and thrown back into the arena like clearing. Naruto quickly stood and made another clone.

"Is that all the tricks you have in your arsenal? You surprise me by the absence of skill, jutsu, and logical thinking. To think that a worthless, annoying child like you could possibly house the Kyubi is completely ironic. The Kyubi was horrible, but he had power. The Yondaime might have died that night, but he had honor and respect; that's something you'll never have."

Standing to his full height, Naruto spat the blood from his mouth, and wiped it from a cut above his perspiration covered eye. "You think talking like that makes you better than me? You think I can't beat you with both hands behind your back. Being a shinobi isn't just about knowing jutsu, or having incredible power; being a shinobi means protecting the things you hold dear to you, and never going back on your word. I will make you eat your words you bastard!"

Naruto held out his hand next to the other clone who began to swirl chakra over his palm. As the rasengan took shape, his enemies stopped smiling at him. A look of panic glinted from the depths of their eyes in shock of how much raw power the spinning sphere had. The blond shinobi glared up at them with pure determination from his illuminating aqua eyes.

"You thought you could just kill me and throw me aside like yesterdays trash, well think again," and lunged at the nearest opponent. The shinobi didn't have time to react as the chakra ball smashed into him and sent him flying into the forest. The second shinobi reacted and managed to move, but Naruto also hit him, flinging him into the foliage and brush.

Breathing heavily, Naruto stood for a sec as his clone burst into smoke. The sounds of Jiraiya's fight ended less then twenty seconds later and the sannin appeared between the trees and walked towards Naruto both their backpacks slung over his shoulder. He handed Naruto's pack to him and adjusted his own.

"I thought you were never going to finish kid, though I guess these guys had a little more experience then you."

"How did you find me, if you saw me in town why didn't you grab my attention?"

"Town? I never went into town; I was to busy following these creeps. You're not exactly the easiest to find when you don't want to be found I can tell you that much. I knew they discovered where you were and so I kept slightly behind them. They must have figured I was somewhere nearby and gave me the slip. Good thing I found you only a little later then they did."

"Wait, how did you know that Danzo wanted me killed?"

"One of Tsunade's posts reached me, and well, these guys may not standout to civilians, but they standout to eyes trained to search for them."

"Well, I found you now, or I guess you found me, I'm not really sure where to go from here."

"That's what I'm here for aren't I? I have a proposition for you; you can either come with me to find a way back to get you safely back in Konoha; or, you can tag along with me while I do research. What do you think?"

"Well …"

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You can tell me what you think. I'm at a cross roads in the story where I can make it medium length, or very long. Reviews are deeply appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Diclaimer: I do not own Naruto; if I did, the story would probably be very different.

I'm sorry if there is any jutsu confusion; the problem is a mix between my annoying spell check, and bad imformation sources.

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Naruto laid himself back against the tree; he felt much more comfortable being back in his old shinobi clothes. Jiraiya was nearby looking through a bush peeking at pretty girls in their bathing suits splashing through the water.

_Research my ass_; _I agreed to go with him for researching the Akatsuki and he drags me here to stare at women._

"Oi, about your researching pervy-sage; I thought you were going to train me if I agreed to go on this trip!"

A group of shrieks come from the other side of the bushes and Jiraiya stumbles back with a cheek throbbing with a red handprint.

"Kid, why do you continually do that to me, you could at least give me a warning when you suddenly exclaim something."

"Next time you offer me something, keep up on the offer."

The old man sighed, "Still as impatient as ever I see, fine, I'll make you another offer. If you can find another place where beautiful women play in there swim wear, I'll teach you another of the fourth's techniques."

Naruto's eyes brightened at the old man's words, " Now you're talking; that's about the most motivation you've given me for a while." The blond shinobi took off eagerly to find the location his teacher had requested.

I will never understand how that kid's brain works, but hey, it means I get to find more subjects for my research. But what will I do until he comes back?

"Hey pervy-sage, are you listening to me? I found another beach spot!"

"All ready? I guess, I sure know how to motivate you."

"Right, right; now come on, you said you would teach me a new technique."

As they arrived at the location, Jiraiya sighed. Naruto really had a one-track mind. "Alright, keep your shirt on, I do keep up on my promises. Here," Jiraiya threw a burlap wrapped package, "Open it."

Confused, Naruto broke the seal and unfolded the package; inside was about a dozen three-pronged kunai.

"This is a technique?"

"Don't underestimate it, it's one that I barely understand."

"If you don't understand it, how can you teach me?"

"Open up the rest of the package you idiot."

Looking down, Naruto moved the alien kunai aside and pulled out a scroll.

"Everything you need to know is on that scroll. I can help explain something if you don't understand, but that's about it. You're on your own."

"What exactly is this jutsu supposed to do?"

"Read the scroll and you'll find out; know if you'll excuse me, I have important research to do."

Naruto gave an exasperated sigh; he would never understand why his teacher was so obsessed with looking at half-naked women. He turned around and kneeled near a tree stump to completely lay out the packs contents. The young blond counted fourteen kunai and put them out in two rows. He opened the scroll to view the barely legible script inside. Reading the first couple lines, the boy's blond eyebrows furrowed.

"This isn't a new jutsu, it's a scroll for the rasenga."

"Read further down; though more practice couldn't hurt you."

Naruto unrolled the scroll further and read on. The scroll went on for a long time about the steps for the rasenga, but eventually, Naruto reached the beginning of a new technique.

While the Sushine no jutsu is very common in the arsenals of shinobi; with each country owning it's own particular version, the Hirashin no jutsu is the fastest among them. Each kunai has a seal that I have created that, if used correctly, will allow the user to achieve lightning speed. It is, however, that many shinobi are not able to use the jutsu, do to the fact that the pure speed does not allow them to realize where their enemies are.

Naruto glazed over the process of making the special kunai; he'd probably need to know that later, and skipped to the details of the jutsu.

When the seal and kunai are created and put together, one must then remember to form their chakra properly. One must allow their chakra to flow from them, they must them "reach" there chakra towards the seal on the kunai and allow themselves to follow the existing stream of chakra and appear at the place of the kunai. The speed, distance, and accuracy come from practice and the affinity for the seal.

Naruto unrolled the rest of the scroll, but it was blank.

That was it? There wasn't much advice, it seems that it works mainly through trial and error.

Naruto stood up and picked up the nearest kunai to hold it in his palm. He did as the scroll said and let his chakra swirl around him. The young shinobi wasn't really sure how to do the next step. The scroll didn't give much elaboration on what to do next. Naruto concentrated a small amount of his chakra and pushed it slowly toward the kunai in his hand.

The young blond nearly dropped the kunai he was holding when he felt a small tug. He hadn't expected anything to happen. Naruto glanced around at Jiraiya, who was still currently interested in a particular girl. Naruto severed the stream of chakra to the kunai and looked at the seal carefully, it looked like gibberish to him; he had never learned much about seals.

Naruto gripped the weapon and threw it about three or four feet. The young shinobi took a deep breath.

Well, the scroll said that it came with practice…

He reached for another small potion of his chakra and cast it towards the handle sticking out of the ground till he felt the tug. Relaxing his muscles, he allowed himself to be pulled towards the kunai.

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I'm not really sure if I like this chapter; it feels necessary, but something just doesn't fell right. Hope everyone enjoyed it though!


	6. Chapter 6

I am aware how long it's been since I last updated, but my personal life has been an emotional rollacoaster recently and it gave me a severe case of writer's block for this story. Hopefully, it was at leat a little worth the wait. Enjoy!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.  
**Edit Author's Note: I have looked back on this fic and decided that alot of pieces need some tuning and work so this is on temporary Hiatus while I rewrite some of the previous chapters.**

* * *

Jiraiya stood from his crouching position; his back was beginning to ache, and his knees were sore. _Damn me for being old! I used to be able to do this for days at a time! Ah well, might as well see how he's doing …_The sannin put away his scope and turned to the clearing where Naruto had opened the scroll.

He looked thoroughly around the area but the loud-mouthed blond was nowhere to be seen. Jiraiya walked to the western edge of the clearing where the scroll, left on the stump, was illuminated by the sinking sun.

Slowly walking, he constantly looked for a flash of bright orange, until he was standing in front of the stump. Jiraiya sighed, who knows where that kid went when he got wrapped up in something. He picked up the scroll and rolled it; no sense in letting it become damaged. Somewhere outside of his peripheral vision he heard the thunk of metal against wood and the splintering of the tree from an object unable to slow down.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breathe before turning around to look at Naruto sitting in front of the offending tree, cursing rather loudly. Jiraiya cleared his throat and Naruto turned around to face him. The recent impact had formed a cut across the crown of his head, and now his red, sticky blood was drooling down his face and started to sting his eyes.

Naruto wiped the blood off with his sleeve and tried to break the somewhat awkward silence that had formed with his nervous laughter. Jiraiya gave another big sigh: _well at least he appears to be making progress._Naruto picked himself up and stood with the solitary kunai in his hand.

"Hey pervy-sage! I think I've nearly go this thing down!"

"I see that," Jiraiya nearly muttered, but Naruto didn't hear the sarcasm, "how long have you been doing that anyway?"

"Awhile, but you know me I'm fine," the blond shinobi said with a smile and taking a step forward, "I could do this for another couple hours if I wanted to and," Naruto didn't finish his sentence due to the fact that he had collapsed from exhaustion. Jiraiya felt another sigh coming on. He debated for several moments wither he should try and wake him up or take him back to the motel that they were staying in.

Jiraiya was standing over Naruto when the boy started coming around again. "Still feel like you could do it for another couple of hours?" Naruto pushed himself up and groaned but didn't give a verbal answer. Jiraiya continued as if he never expected an answer, "We probably should get back and a least clean the nasty cut you've given yourself."

Naruto looked disappointed but didn't argue as he wiped away another drizzle of blood and sweat that were mixing into a rather noxious fluid that left an annoying sting in his eyes and a bitter smell in his nose.

They walked back to their motel room in the outskirts of town and unlocked the door. Naruto headed to the small, slightly filthy, and dimly lit bathroom. The kyubi's chakra had already mended the slice but the coagulated blood had already stained his blond hair an ugly shade that appeared to be a mixture of red and brown.

Naruto twisted the rusting knobs of the sink to allow the water to flow. He collected water in his cupped hands and washed out the ugly color, and his face while he was at it, until all the dirt and blood tinted water swirled in a strange mixture around the drain.

He turned back into the main room to see that the old man was gone, probably off to another brothel to try and enjoy a fun night out with women. Naruto whistled, another night he had to spend alone until his teacher stumbled home drunk and woke him when he started to dirty the already filthy toilet with his vomit.

Naruto flung himself on the moth eaten covers that at one time might have been green. He stared up at the ceiling where the cobwebs left shadows in the dusty corners. His eyelids drooped and his mind drifted off into unsettling dreams of flying kunai and dark tree trunks.

The door slammed open and Jiraiya shuffled in; when he got closer to the bed, Naruto smelled the stale spirits that clung to his breath and clothes. Naruto quietly groaned when he looked at the clock; it was two in the morning, which meant that the old man would be hungover long into the afternoon. Naruto sighed and rolled over; he knew he had time for plenty of sleep.

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Sakura sprinted from rooftop to rooftop, changing direction every couple of buildings; it may not have been the largest town, but it had a lot high buildings for cover. She jumped down into a gap between buildings in hopes of losing her pursuers. She leans against the building to catch her breath. From the shadows down the deserted alleyway came a snide remark, "A little confident of you to try and hide from us isn't?"

She felt the air freeze in her throat and lungs as she strained all her senses to discover the location of the hidden enemy. Mist began to form, and soon, Sakura lost her vision as the moisture shrouded it.

To her left and right the two shadows that had been following her for leagues cast their undefined forms on the mist. Sakura's eyes darted between the two people, waiting for them to make the next move.

After an unknown amount of time passes, Sakura feels her legs weakening and starting to shake. The shadow to her left unsheathes his blade and leaps towards her with inhuman speed. Sakura dodges just in the nick of time and feels strands of her hair sprinkle down upon her as the blade sliced through the air where her throat had been.

Sakura fled to the opening of the alleyway to try and make sense of the confusing city. She leaps to the sky and the rooftop chase began again. The small mist had quickly become a thick fog and Sakura twisted her head to see if her attackers were visible but the fog diminished any hope of that. When she turned back to face forward, she realized that she had overshot the last jump and nearly tumbled down into another cramped alley.

Sakura managed to grab the nearest edge but before she could pull herself up to keep running, she felt the sharp stabbing of several kunai pierce the flesh on the back of her arms and legs. The sudden pains make her gasp and loose her grip on the rough, gritty building material.

She slides down the side of the building and scrapes her exposed skin on her face and neck. Sakura hits the dirt alley ground hard and rolls as she avoids more pointy objects, and quickly crawls backwards into a blocked off corner.

A window's light making them more visible illuminated the two root members that quickly stood in front of the bleeding girl. The larger one raised his blade above her neck and swung down. The sword clatered to the ground as Sakura thrust two kunai into the attacker's shins. She managed to also hit the other man with a strong whip kick to the gut and continue running out of the dank alley.

She ran from street to street, unsure of where she was going in the cloaking fog, and the sheen of sweat plastered her pink hair annoyingly to her face. In her confusion felt her foot catch on something around the ankle and pull with a sickening crack. On the ground, bending and twisting to free her foot, another foot slammed into her chest and a series of cracks told her that several of her ribs were also now broken. Before she could react, the second figure got her in an iron hold which left her open to more painful blows.

The first figure drew another blade, shorter than the first, and quickly sharpened it to a razor edge. He then leaned in so close that Sakura could smell his stale breath on her face. The man whispered," Aren't you a firecracker? Now, why don't you be a good little girl and answer out question, and we'll let you go?" Sakura craned her face away from him as much as she could and spat in his face.

The man drew back slightly and slapped her and she let out a call that sounded like a mixture of a loud whimper and a soft scream; Sakura looked back at him and realizd that her lip had torn and the blood was leaving a rather metalic taste in her mouth. The blade was placed close to the jugular vein in her throat and the man started again, "Must we come to blows before we can just have some simple answers?" Sakura was about to curse him out loud, but the man behind her landed a blow on her back that winded her and prevented any reply.

She realized how rushed and unsteady her breathing was from the adrenaline that had her heart hammering as well, the blade that was less than a cenimeter from her throat left the impression of it's edge on her vulnerable skin. He was about to say something else when suddenly, the force that had her feet dangling two feet off the ground vanished into the swirling moisture. The man infront of her also fell from an unseen blow, and the sharp weapon fell out of sight.

When the first figure rose again, he looked straight behind her, probably glaring at the nerve of the new intruder. Sakura felt the person kneel beside her and whisper into her ear, "Can't believe you let these to idiot's beat you up like this."


End file.
